Plenty of hot mic moments have surfaced across media days and press conferences in past NBA seasons, but none fit such a strange criterion as what just happened in Sacramento.
In between a player media session, two female reporters were heard sharing their opinions on the looks and personalities of current Kings player Ben Simmons and former all-star Zach LaVine. The moment was caught on camera, and to nobody’s surprise, it blew up on social media almost instantly.
“Ben Simmons is cringe, cringe. He’s lucky he’s fine,” said Sarah Hodges.
Simmons recently returned to the NBA after a brief hiatus, during which he spent time participating in competitive fishing competitions with a team. The former all-star spoke to Kings media that day, delivering some very regular quotes, not stepping out of line in the slightest.
To make matters even more ridiculous, LaVine was also dragged into this conversation for seemingly no reason. This time, Hodges didn’t hold back when she threw some shade at the former Chicago Bulls player.
“Zach LaVine is cute but his personality f*cking annoys me. It just seems like he’s a prick,” said Hodges.
As of Oct. 8, no information has been reported on whether or not Hodges has been terminated from her job.
From a reporter’s standpoint, the issue is baffling: anyone would assume this isn’t appropriate, no matter how comfortable you are with the organization. As a media person connected to a specific team, you must refrain from any personal attacks on team members, especially in the context of the Simmons and LaVine disaster.
Both men have had completely different career paths thus far. Simmons is a former number one overall pick who had a remarkable first few years with the 76ers before suffering what is now one of the most sudden falloffs in NBA history. The Aussie was once compared to Magic Johnson, with ridiculous vision and playmaking ability, while moving and handling the ball like a six-foot-tall guard. After several down years and one spent on the boat fishing, Simmons now looks to make some sort of impact on a depressing Kings team that not too long ago looked to be on the come-up.
LaVine’s career has seen more success from an overall consistency standpoint; however, both men share the unfortunate title of talented players with little to no team success to show for it. LaVine has always been a great scorer, even at UCLA, but he’s also been part of some of the worst franchises of his career. First, the Timberwolves, then the Bulls, and now the Kings. He’s been in the league since 2014 and has only managed one playoff win during that stretch.
Why are any of these statistics relevant to reporters talking behind their backs? Both Simmons and LaVine have had unsuccessful careers, making this instance of bad reporting even worse.
The Sacramento Kings have been in shambles for nearly 20 years. Having your own reporters talk about your players like high school classmates just makes things infinitely worse.